Xref: utzoo comp.protocols.iso:1526 comp.protocols.tcp-ip:14749
Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!sun-barr!apple!portal!cup.portal.com!Will
From: Will@cup.portal.com (Will E Estes)
Newsgroups: comp.protocols.iso,comp.protocols.tcp-ip
Subject: Advantages/Disadvantages Of TCP+Router Vs. Straight X.25
Message-ID: <38836@cup.portal.com>
Date: 4 Feb 91 02:09:29 GMT
Organization: The Portal System (TM)
Lines: 22

I would like to get opinions on pros and cons for setting up an
Internet.  The two setups are:

1) All sites on the internet have routers that attach to a public
data network, like UUNET's Alternet, and use TCP/IP to communicate
between nodes on the net.  To the extent that X.25 might be used
underneath TCP between the routers, this is invisible to the
applications.

2) All sites on the internet connect directly to an X.25 network,
and any client-server applications between two sites are written
directly to an X.25 API or to some software abstraction that is
written on top of X.25.

What are the advantages to either approach?  Clearly 2) is going
to be more efficient since you don't have the extra error-checking
of TCP and you don't have the extra data bandwidth of the router
headers being attached to each packet.  This advantage aside, are
there any decisive advantages that argue for approach 1)?

Thanks,
Will Estes        (apple!cup.portal.com!Will)